Racetrack amusement device

ABSTRACT

A toy racetrack featuring a frame within which are mounted for sliding movement a plurality of continuous flexible bands, each band being provided with at least one magnet. Operating handles permit each of the players to move a particular band. A top covers the frame and movable bands and is provided with means designating the racing area. A plurality of racing figurines, each containing a magnet, are positioned on the top above the band magnets. Thus, as the players move the operating handles from side to side the figurines race along the surface of the top, the winner being determined largely by the swiftness with which the user manipulates the operating handles.

United States Patent [191 Masuda [4s] Oct.22, 1974 RACETRACK AMUSEMENT DEVICE [76] Inventor: Yukio Masuda, Sumiyoshi l -7-7,

Soka, Japan 221 Filed: Oct. 2, 1972 211 App]. No.: 294,467

[52] US. Cl. 273/86 B, 273/86 F [51] Int. Cl. A631 9/14 [58] Field of Search 273/86 B, 86 C, 86 D, 86 F [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,822,873 9/1931 Brewer 273/86 F 2,551,806 5/1951 McKeever 273/86 B 2,555,785 6/1951 Cook 273/86 B X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 558,969 3/1957 Italy 273/86 C Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Attorney, Agent, or F irm-Staas, Halsey & Galie 57 ABSTRACT A toy racetrack featuring a frame within which are mounted for sliding movement a plurality of continuous flexible bands, each band being provided with at least one magnet. Operating handles permit each of v the players to move a particular band. A top covers the frame and movable bands and is provided with means designating the racing area. A plurality of racing figurines, each containing a magnet, are positioned on the top above the band magnets. Thus, as the players move the operating handles from side to side the figurines race along the surface of the top, the winner being determined largely by the swiftness with which the user manipulates the operating handles.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures Q PATENTEnnmzz I974 318423.123 SNEEI 10$ 4 PMENTED UB1 22 I914 1843123 SIIEEI 20$ 4 1 RACETRACK AMUSEMENT DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the general class of toys simulating a track along which vehicles or animals race.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The frame of the racetrack is provided with a plurality of continuous flexible bands spaced apart from each other and mounted for sliding movement. Each of the flexible bands is provided with at least one magnet extending upwardly therefrom. An operating member is associated with each of the flexible bands, extends transversely thereof and is mounted for side-to-side movement with respect to the frame. Each operating member includes a rotatably mounted wedge element normallybiased into engagement with its associated flexible band. The configuration of the wedge element is designed such that as the handle of the operating member is moved in one direction the wedge element rigidly engages the flexible band moving same a predetermined distance. Thereafter, the operating member is moved in the opposite direction at which time the wedge element rotates slightly releasing its grip of the flexible band permitting the handle of the operating member to resume its original position during which time the flexible band is stationary. A top or cover configured as a racing area is mounted upon the frame. A plurality of figurines, for example, racing horses, are provided with magnets and positioned upon the surface of the top immediately above the magnets of corresponding flexible bands. Thus, movement of the bands causes the figurines to move. As each player manipulates his operating member from side to side, the figurines move through the racing area. As the top is generally opaque, the operating mechanism forming an integral part of the frame is hidden from view. The speed of each racing figurine can be varied depending upon the length of the stroke of the operating member and the speed with which the operating member is moved from side to side. As the operating members are positioned transversely ofthe spaced flexible bands and mounted at their inner ends for pivoting movement about one or more axes, the distance the outermost flexible band is caused to move by a given stroke of the handle is greater than the corresponding distance a band spaced inwardly from the outermost band is caused to move by the same stroke of the handle of the operating mechanism. Thus, the racetrack of the present invention compensates for the differences in distance the bands must move to insure that their respective figurines remain abreast of each other for equal strokes of different operating handles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION'OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the toy racetrack illustrating the opaque top positioned above the frame within which the working mechanism is located and two of the operating handles used by the players to move the racing figurines along the racetrack;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the toy racetrack with the top removed so as to illustrate the working mechanism within the frame and the spaced, flexible bands;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 illustrating the compartments within which the flexible bands are located;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the operating members mounted for pivoting movement and its rotatably mounted wedge element for gripping a corresponding flexible band so as to move same as the handle of the operating member is moved in one direction while permitting the flexible band to remain stationary as the handle is moved in the opposite direction after which the operation is repeated to continuously move the band;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view partly in section illustrating one of the racingfigurines provided with a magnet resting upon the top opaque racing surface and its associated magnet affixed to the corresponding flexible band thus permitting the racing vehicle to move along the surface of the top as the band is moved below the p;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the construction of the housing within which the magnet associated with each flexible band is located and the method for attaching same to the flexible band;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a'portion of one of the operating mechanisms illustrating the wedge element gripping the flexible band as the handle'of the operating mechanism is moved in one direction so as to move the flexible band; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view illustrating return movement of the handle of the operating mechanism at which time the wedge element disengages from its associated flexible band permitting the operating mechanism to assume its original position at which time the band is stationary.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:

The toy racetrack is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 and comprises a frame 12 within which the working mechanism is enclosed and a generally opaque top 14 provided with rails 16 within which the racing area 18 is defined.

The frame 12, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is provided with a plurality of upstanding walls 20 defining compartments. Within each .of the compartments is located a lower wall 22, the purpose of which will be described in detail hereinafter. Finally, extending upwardly from the frame within each compartmentare a series of guides 24.

Within each compartment is located a continuous flexible band designated by the reference numeral 26. Attached to each of the bands 26 are three compartments 28, as illustrated in FIG. 6, each containing a magnet 30. A cover 32 encloses the magnet 30 confining same to the compartment 28, the cover 32 being provided with indicia 34 designating the position of one of the four racing lanes. As will be apparent from FIG. 1, since the cover 34 is located immediately below the racing surface 18 of the top 14 its indicia 34 is visible to the user. As will be further apparent from FIG. 2, each of the flexible bands 26 is positioned within its respective compartment for free sliding movement. One side of each band 26 engages the series of guides 24 while the bottom of each of the compartments 28 within which the magnets 30 are located rests upon and rides along the lower rail 22, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. There are four flexible bands 26 mounted for sliding movement within the four compartments, each band 26 being provided with three separate compartments 28 within which the magnets 30 are located, the

position of the magnets 30 on the flexible bands 26 being designated bythe covers 32 bearing identical indicia for each individual band 26.

ne of the racing figurines is illustrated in FIG. 5 and designated generally by the reference numeral 34. As will be apparent, the figurine 34 includes a shaft 35 pivotally mounted thereto terminating downwardly in a compartment 36 within which is located a magnet 38. As will be further apparent from FIG. 5, the racing figurine 34 is positioned upon the surface 18 of the top 14 immediately above one of the three compartments 28 of the band 26 within which a corresponding magnet 30 is located. The effect of the adjacent magnets 30 and 38 is to permit the racing vehicle 34 to travel along the top of the racing surface 18 as its corresponding band 26 is caused to move within the frame 12. As will be further apparent, thepurpose of having more than one compartment 28 and magnet 30 for each flexible band 26 is to permit the four racing figurines to be positioned adjacent each other for a start without having to move all of the bands 26 substantial distances and also to permit a racing vehicle 34 to reassume forward movement by attraction to a following magnet 30 should, by chance, the racing figurine 34 become disengaged from its intended magnet 30.

The mechanism for progressively moving the flexible bands 26 within the frame 12 is illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, 7. and 8. Four separate arms 40 terminating in handles 42 are mounted to the frame 12 for rotation about pins 44. As will be apparent, the arms 40 are positioned transversely of the flexible bands 26, the handles 42 thereof extending outwardly from the frame 12 to be moved from side to side by the four players. Each individual arm 40 controls one of the flexible bands 26. The means for moving one of the flexible bands 26 by operating one of the handles 42 will now be described.

Each of the arms 40 is provided with a wedge element designated by the reference numeral 46. The wedge element 46 is mounted to the arm 40 for rotation about a pin 48, a spring element 50 being wrapped about the pin 48, one end 52 thereof engaging the wedge element 46 while the other end 54 thereof engaging the arm 40, as illustrated in FIGS. 7-8. As will be apparent, the spring 50 normally causes the wedge element 46 to rotate counterclockwise about the pin 48 such that the point 56 thereof engages the flexible band 26.

As will now be apparent, and as illustrated in FIG. 8, as each of the players moves his handle 42 to the left such that the arm 40 moves clockwise about its pin 44, the wedge element 46 is caused to rotate a small degree clockwise about its pin 48 against the force of the spring 50 in such a manner that the point 56 does not grip the flexible band 26. Thus, when the handle 42 is moved to the left by the user there is no gripping force between the point 56 of the wedge element 46 and the band 26 permitting the band 26 to remain stationary. The handle 42 is now ready to be moved to the right. When so moved, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the arm 40 is rotated counterclockwise about its pin 44, the normal force of the spring 50 which urges the wedging element 46 to rotate counterclockwise about its pin 48 now being assisted by the geometry of the wedge element 56 handle 42. Once the handle 42 has completed its stroke, the user repeats the previous operation of returning the handle 42 to its left-hand position during which time the flexible band 26 remains stationary. As will now be apparent, each of the bands 26 is caused to move intermittently along the frame 12 by the back and forth movement of its mating operating handle 42 thus causing the figurine 34 corresponding to the band 26 to race around the track area 18 of the top 14. It is, of course, not necessary that the user move the operating handle through its entire stroke. Short or long strokes of the operating handle 42 may be employed.

As will be further apparent from FIG. 2, the distance each of the spaced apart flexible bands 26 is caused to move depends upon the geometry of the system featuring the arms 40 which rotate about the pins 44. That is, the innermost flexible band 26 moves a linear distance less than the outwardly positioned band 26', which, in turn, moves a linear distance less than the band 26" spaced outwardly therefrom, which, in turn, moves a linear distance less than the still further outwardly positioned band 26" even though each of the operating handles 42 are movedthrough the same distance or stroke. This compensates for the distance each of the bands 26, 26, 26" and 26" must move to permit the racing vehicles 34 to remain abreast of each other. Thus, there is no special advantage to having the inside lane within which the band 26 moves over the outermost lane within which the band 26" moves. Therefore, the basic skill involves how rapidly the user can move the operating handles 42 back and fourth without the racing vehicle 34, which is pivoted to rock back and forth, falling over as a result of the movement of a band 26 being so erratic that the magnets 30 and 38 cannot maintain their desired attraction.

I claim:

1.- As amusement device, comprising:

a frame, a plurality of bands, means mounting said bands within said frame permitting same to move in spaced relationship to each other, each of said bands being provided with a magnet, operating means associated with each of said bands for individually moving same comprising an arm, means mounting said arm to said frame transversely of said band to move from side to side, and a wedge element mounted to rotate about an axis on said arm and means normally urging said wedge element into engagement with said band such that as said arm is moved in one direction said wedge element tightly grips said band moving same while during the return movement of said arm in the opposite direction the grip of said wedge element is released at which time said band remains stationary, said axis being parallel to the plane of the surface on said band at the point of engagement of said band by'said wedge;

a top mounted upon said frame; and

a plurality of figurines corresponding to said members and resting upon said top, each of the figurines being provided with a magnet positioned above said magnet of its corresponding band.

2. An amusement device as in claim 1, wherein said wedge element of each of said operating means associated with each of said bands includes surfaces terminating in a point engaging said band, the distance between said point and said axis slightly exceeding the distance between said band and said axis.

3 ,843 ,123 5 6 3. An amusement device as in claim 1, wherein each bands and operating means are four in number and said of Sald bands flexble 9"" figurines are horses permitting said amusement device 4. An amusement device as in claim 1, wherein said top includes means defining a racing area.

5. An amusement device as in claim 4, wherein said 5 to function as a toy racetrack for four players. 

1. As amusement device, comprising: a frame, a plurality of bands, means mounting said bands within said frame permitting same to move in spaced relationship to each other, each of said bands being provided with a magnet, operating means associated with each of said bands for individually moving same comprising an arm, means mounting said arm to said frame transversely of said band to move from side to side, and a wedge element mounted to rotate about an axis on said arm and means normally urging said wedge element into engagement with said band such that as said arm is moved in one direction said wedge element tightly grips said band moving same while during the return movement of said arm in the opposite direction the grip of said wedge element is released at which time said band remains stationary, said axis being parallel to the plane of the surface on said band at the point of engagement of said band by said wedge; a top mounted upon said frame; and a plurality of figurines corresponding to said members and resting upon said top, each of the figurines being provided with a magnet positioned above said magnet of its corresponding band.
 2. An amusement device as in claim 1, wherein said wedge element of each of said operating means associated with each of said bands includes surfaces terminating in a point engaging said band, the distance between said point and said axis slightly exceeding the distance between said band and said axis.
 3. An amusement device as in claim 1, wherein each of said bands is flexible and continuous.
 4. An amusement device as in claim 1, wherein said top includes means defining a racing area.
 5. An amusement device as in claim 4, wherein said bands and operating means are four in number and said figurines are horses permitting said amusement device to function as a toy racetrack for four players. 